We welcomed Emmanuel Macron as our new president and a new governing party. The far right suffered a serious defeat and the French – unlike their British and American counterparts – showed the nation was not prepared to accept anti-globalisation and anti-immigration policies despite having suffered more domestic terrorism in 2016 than any other country.

That’s not to say it was all rosy for French communities. While Parisians had reasons to feel more optimistic about the future, smaller towns like Albi saw shops close down and streets empty, while workers travelled further afield to find jobs.

France also saw a number of its powerful women thrust into the limelight. The first lady Brigitte Macron was the subject of regular reports about her age and dress sense, while 1980s movie star Jeanne Moreau, plus the world’s richest lady and heiress to the L'Oréal fortune, Liliane Bettencourt both passed away.

Females of the general public, who can forget the countless women – thousands in fact – who joined the anti-sexual harassment campaign #balancetonporc?  

As far as famous men are concerned, we sadly bade farewell to Jean-Philippe Léo Smet, better- known by his Anglicized stage name Johnny Hallyday. Luckily it was nothing like the annus horribilis of 2016, when the world was robbed of some of the biggest names the music industry has ever produced.  

Elsewhere, France remained the world’s number one tourist destination, while the interest of wealthy foreigners and businesses in France gained traction. France attracted companies leaving the UK – mainly London -  to Paris because of “Brexit”.

To cap it all off, Paris won the right to host the 2024 Olympics. Now, there's a reason to celebrate!

EnglishWaves would like to wish all of its listeners a Joyeux Noël et bonne année!